Comparison of Miller's Tale and Merchant's TaleAlison in Miller's Tale and May of the Merchant's Tale are similar in many ways. Both are young women who married men much older than them. Both become involved with young, manipulative men. They also conspire and cuckold their husbands. This is not what marriage is about and it is demonstrated in both stories. What makes Miller's Tale bawdy comedy and The Merchant's Tale bitter satire is in the characterization. In Miller's story we are giving stereotypical characters. The protagonists are cardboard cutouts sent in a farcical motion. The Merchant's Tale gives us a lot more backstory and details about the characters' lives. The reader is more involved and can feel their situations. Here we will focus on the two women in each story and how they demonstrate this difference. Alison is described as young and wild. He is like an animal: "Therefore she koude skippe and plays / As every child or calf follows his lady" (I. 3259-60). We know she would be willing to accept any idea as long as it's "fun." We can see her childish immaturity in the scenes where she allows herself to be "kissed" by Absalom. We do not learn the details of her marriage, such as her feelings towards John, her husband. We simply know that it is a mismatched marriage with a big age difference between them. May is not described in much detail compared to Alison. She is simply young, gentle and beautiful. The disgusting details of his marriage are clearly shown, however. January makes speeches about her desire to consummate her marriage and reluctantly promises to take her time. We are with May when the true horror she feels at having to sleep with January is described... middle of paper......In response she behaves impertinently and offensively: "'This thanks because I have maad see / Allas,' said she, 'who ever was so kind!'" (IV. 2388-89). It's ridiculous and terrible that January believes his explanation. So we can see that although both stories have similar elements, Miller's Tale is a pure comedy. The reader is not shown the emotions of the characters. Alison is not a fully developed character. She is and remains what she was described at the beginning of the story: a wild girl of eighteen. The tale is more of a parody of courtly love. In contrast, in the Merchant's Tale the reader is shown the disgusting details of January's motivations and subsequent marriage. May's character is more fleshed out, the attacks against her are shown explicitly. We may feel sorry for the carpenter, but January never gets our sympathy.